This application claims benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-287523 filed on Sep. 21, 2000, the contents of which are incorporated by the reference.
This invention relates to file managing systems for managing files and, More particularly, to file managing system and method of keeping and managing computer program files or like files correlated in calls thereof to one another capable of keeping together files having the same title but different contents and filing different registers but having the same content to be Managed as a single file.
A usual file managing system for keeping and managing ordinary files usually manages individual files with file titles peculiar thereto. Where files are managed with sole file titles, it is impossible to keep a plurality of files of the same file title.
Accordingly, in a prior art file managing system, hierarchical directories are provided, and files of the same title are kept by entering them in respective directories.
FIG. 12 shows an example, in which two files 0801 and 0802 have different contents but are given the same title of tokkyo.txt. Where files are managed with sole file titles, the two files can not be managed as separate files. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 13, two different directories of /Text/Network/ and /Text File system/ are provided, and the two files are entered in these directories, respectively. In this way, the two files having the same title of tokko.txt can be managed together. Where directory names are incorporated in file titles, as in the case of FIG. 12 in which, for instance, /Text/Network/tokkyt.txt is provided as file title, a plurality of files having the title of /Text/Network/tokkyo.txt can not be provided. Thus, even a usual file system cannot keep together a plurality of files having the same title.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-339321 proposes a technique for solving this problem. In this technique, files are managed not with file titles but with managing IDs. Also, a correspondence list, in which user names, file titles, version numbers, etc. are listed in correspondence to managing IDs, is provided. Thus, a desired file can be obtained by calling it with pertinent listed data shown to the called side. This method permits keeping a plurality of files having the same title so long as their user names, version numbers, etc. are different.
FIG. 14 shows a file managing system which implements the above prior art method. The system comprises a managing server 1010, a memory 1020, a file request input unit 1001, a file input unit 1002 and a file output unit 1003. The memory 1020 includes a file DB 1022 for storing files and a managing DB 1021 for keeping file managing data. Files have different IDs, and are stored in the file DB 1022. In the managing DB 1021, as shown in FIG. 15, correlations of the IDs to types, user names, file titles, versions, etc. are stored.
A file requester inputs these input items, i.e., type, user name, file title and version, to the file request input unit 1001. A managing DB retriever 1011 retrieves a managing DB 1021, and obtains a managing ID corresponding to the request items. A file retriever 1013 obtains a file corresponding to the obtained managing ID from the file DB 1022. The file output unit 1003 sends out the obtained file to the file requester.
When registering a file, the registering person inputs the file to be registered to the file input unit 1002. The file retriever 1013 produces a managing ID which is not utilized in any other file. The produced managing ID corresponds to the type, user name, file title and version of the file to be registered. A file registering/deleting part 1014 registers the file in the file DB 1022. A managing DB updating part 1012 registers the correspondence of the managing ID to the type, user name, file title and version of the file.
The above file managing system can be used for keeping computer program files. With computer program files collectively managed and commonly owned by a plurality of computer program executes, computer program versions and so forth can be readily managed. In addition, with files sent out to the computer program execution equipment when and only when required, resources therein can be saved.
Usually, a computer program comprises a plurality of files, and the individual files provide different functions. Among files constituting different computer programs may possibly be those, which have the same title but different contents. Where such possibility is present in the use of a usual file managing system, the individual files having the same file title can be kept together by giving a unique directory to each computer or each user. Besides, by utilizing the technique disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-339321 same title files which are different in the user, the computer program, the version, etc. can be dealt with as different files, the system operation is obtainable without any problem even in the case of presence of the same title files.
Japanese Patent No. 2864932 shows a further prior art technique. In this technique, when a newly produced file or an edited file is to be registered, a new ID number is automatically given to it, and when a file having the same ID number is present on the called side at the time of calling a file, the call-out is controlled such as to be stopped. In this technique, files are distinguished according to file titles and ID numbers, it is a preamble that files having the same content have the same ID number.
This technique thus preventing the storing or calling of a plurality of files having the same content and also distinguishing files having different contents. When a new file is produced or when a file is updated, a new ID number is given. For example, computer files may have a constitution as shown in FIG. 2. In this example, computer programs A 0210 and B 0211 have been registered by different registering persons A and B. Files A 0212 and A 0214 which have the same title but different contents, should be kept as separate files. On the other hand, a file B 0213 which is commonly used in the computer programs A 0210 and B 0211 should not be kept as separate files therein but should be kept as a single common file.
The above prior art, however, has the following problem. In a file memory which is commonly owned by a plurality of different users, it is impossible to prohibit the handling of files having the same content, if any, among files registered by a plurality of registering persons, as separate files (i.e., allow the handling of these files as a single file) while allowing the managing of files having the same file title but different contents as separate files.
In the technique disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-339321, file titles and versions thereof are managed with unique managing IDs, and thus a file to be registered has the same file title of a file which has been registered can be registered. However, since files are each managed with each managing ID, even files having the same file title and also the same content can be managed as separate files. That is, a plurality of files having the same content may be registered as such, and they can not be dealt with as a single file, for instance a program file common to a plurality of users.
The technique disclosed in the Japanese Patent No. 2864932, in which files are managed with different ID numbers given thereto, has a problem that files with the same ID number can not be registered, or a plurality of files having the same content can not be managed as the same file if their ID numbers are different.